Glorious Grub at the Feast Collective!

This year for the first time in about 5 years I won’t be at Camp Bestival (sniff!) Every year I enjoy hearing about their line up – my husband gets the email alerts and often shares his excitement of the latest artist sign up. I always enjoy getting prepared, looking at what we will need (including essentials like glow sticks and bubbles!) There’s nothing quite like a festival shopping list!

But this year we can’t make it so in order to feel like I can still enjoy the festival experience, and to help bring that festival vibe to you too, I have something tasty to share!

The food at Camp Bestival is definitely a highlight for me. They take real pride in offering an experience for foodies, bringing in a variety of foods for all palates from cakes by the W.I to DJ BBQ’s smoked and grilled meats! However one of my personal favourites is Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen, street food at its best.

This is a dish I had from Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen at Camp Bestival 2014- it was absolutely delicious!

So now you’ve seen Zoe’s West African fare, how does a recipe for Jamestown Grilled Prawns with Baobab Butter; Corn on the Cob & Coconut Rice sound? Here’s a favourite recipe from Zoe to try at home with instructions on how to make it.

Wash and clean the prawns (it’s up to you whether you remove the heads but leaving the body and tails on gives a more dramatic presentation). Using a sharp knife butterfly the prawns so that you create a greater surface area for your seasoning, score down the belly and open out. Rinse thoroughly and pat dry. You can ask your fishmonger to prepare the prawns for you if you prefer.

Reserve 2 tablespoons of the coconut oil for brushing the grill and basting, then add the rest to a bowl with all the remaining marinade ingredients and mix well.

Zoe Adjonyoh, photo by Chris Coulson

Add the prepared prawns and gently turn to coat them all over with the marinade. If you have time, cover the bowl with cling film and leave in fridge for 30-60 minutes to soak up marinade while you light your charcoal barbecue and the coals have burnt down until covered in a grey ash (see Tips). Alternatively, preheat a gas barbecue to medium-high.

Once the barbecue is ready for cooking, thread the prawns on to skewers (see Tips) from tail to head, being careful not to knock off the head!

Brush the barbecue grill well with some of the reserved coconut oil and also drizzle the oil over the skewers, coating each side. Add the skewers to the grill and cook for 3–4 minutes on each side.

Tips

Remember to preheat a charcoal barbecue about 30 minutes before you want to
start cooking.

If you are using bamboo skewers, put them in water to soak for an hour to prevent them burning on the barbecue.

Coconut riceThis is a very simple way to make plain boiled rice a little more interesting that brings with it a creaminess of texture and deeper flavor proflie

First prepare your rice – 75g/23/4oz per person is the packet instruction norm but that’s not enough in an African household, so I always go for at least 100g per person, as you can always have seconds. Wash the rice thoroughly in cold water to remove as much starch as possible – I wash it in at least 3 changes of water until the water runs clear – then drain and place in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Pour in just enough water to cover the rice and add salt to taste – I use about ½ teaspoon crushed sea salt, as I don’t like over-salty rice. Cover and cook over a medium heat for about 5 minutes until it starts to boil – this allows the grains to open up.

Shake the can of coconut milk thoroughly before opening, then add about half the can to the rice and stir it through. Replace the lid and cook for a further 10 minutes over a medium-high heat.

Add another quarter of the can and stir it in, then reduce the heat and simmer for
about 7 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender and fluffy.

Meanwhile, for the prawns, heat a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the butter to the pan and heat until foaming. Add the prawns and stir-fry for a few minutes until they turn pink all over and are cooked through.

Thread the prawns on to skewers and serve on a bed of the coconut rice, garnished with the coriander sprig or chilli, with a side of spinach or spring greens sautéed in a little coconut oil.

Tips

If you do have fresh coconut to hand, slice some slim shards a few centimetres long, lightly toast in a dry frying pan and use as a crunchy garnish for the rice.

Spiced Aduna World Baobab ButterThe nutrient dense Baobab fruit which dries naturally on the tree is one of Ghana’s superfood ingredients gaining traction in the health food market in the UK in a powdered extract form – packed with calcium vitamin C and potassium it’s a natural well being product and the incredible citrus zest running through this fruit means it lifts all sorts of dressings, smoothies or even sprinkled into salads or oats – you can add it to literally anything and combust with healthy feelings

This flavoured butter works really well as a baste for almost any meaty white fish fillets, especially Tilapia and it works equally well as a marinade for grilled asparagus or sliced courgette before grilling or pan-frying.

Makes 125g (41/2oz)

Ingredients:

125g (41/2oz) salted butter at room temperature, cut into chunks

grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

1 teaspoon ground hot pepper or cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon baobab powder

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mash together with a fork. Check the seasoning and adjust to your taste.

Spoon the butter along one end of a sheet of baking parchment, then roll up into a mini log, twist the ends to seal and chill in the fridge until firm so that it’s easy to slice and serve.

Smother on some boiled or roasted or grilled Corn on the Cob just before serving

That’s it! Doesn’t it sound delicious? Zoe is such a talented cook and I love her food.

Zoe is also hosting a secret supper club for early attendees to Camp Bestival this year (shhhh!) The festival starts on Friday 29th July 2016 but for early arrivals who want to get a head start on the action, you can book tickets to Zoe’s Grassfed Supper Club on the Thursday night (28th July) but be quick – tickets are limited!

If this has tempted you to attend Camp Bestival 2016 there are still tickets available! Get yours here plus more ticket information.

Ooooh that sounds amazing. You sound like a girl after my own heart. I grew up going to festivals and eventually went to a few with work. The best one for food we had to go to was definitely WOMAD at the time, food from all over the world like this! I ate sooo much! 😀

I love world foods – just trying something new plus I love how Zoe says that ‘usual portions’ don’t cut it in an African household. I think my household must be like an African household in this respect too!

How wonderful to have such diverse food, funnily enough I was looking for yummy Ghanaian recipes earlier this year for a Ghana themed party and would have loved to have had this one back then. I’ve heard such good things about Camp Bestival, would love to go one day.